. >> safer: the papers, the pundits all agreed-- truman didn't have a chance against tom dewey, even when truman started drawing big crowds campaigning by train. >> mccullough: it was the first time any president had ever done that. he would pull into these little stops where nobody would ever stop and give a talk. >> harry truman: i'm coming out here so you can look at me and hear what i have to say, and then make up your own mind as to whether you believe some of the things that have been said about your president. ( laughter ) >> mccullough: he wasn't smooth. he wasn't glib. he just talked straight. he said, "i'm going to go out there and give 'iem hell. and later on he said, "i didn't give 'iem hell; i just told 'iem the truth and they thought it was hell." ( laughter ) >> well, there seems to be a trend and the trend is for dewey. >> safer: election night, it was all over for truman... until it wasn't. >> truman: and the morning after that, in st. louis, i was handed this paper which said "dewey defeats truman." of course, he wished he had but he didn't. and that's all there was